Among the jubilant scenes at the National Cycling Velodrome at the weekend were several SporTT employees who lent their professional expertise to the national men's volleyball team that retained the Caribbean title.

Among the jubilant scenes at the National Cycling Velodrome at the weekend were several SporTT employees who lent their professional expertise to the national men's volleyball team that retained the Caribbean title.

The Elite Development & Performance Unit (EDPU) of SporTT offers all national athletes and teams the benefit of a full suite of sport science and medicine services - from assessment and physical training to nutrition and psychology. More than 100 athletes currently access EDPU's free services, delivered from their base at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

The Unit's Executive Manager and team physical trainer Tobias Ottley who said it was the team coach and former national player Sean Morrison who first contacted the EDPU for assistance. Ottley, who served as the team's fitness coach said, "When Sean was called up to coach the U23 and senior volleyball teams, he completed the formal registration with the Unit and requested physical fitness, sport nutrition, sport psychology and physiotherapy services. We were excited at the chance to work with national athletes as part of the coach's two-year plan for their development."

Trinidad & Tobago were clearly physically and mentally prepared for what turned out to be a gruelling tournament which contained three five-set marathons, taking the title against Martinique in four sets. The road ahead is an uphill climb as the men now prepare for Norceca Continental Championships in September 2017 where they come up against teams like the USA, Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and many others. The EDPU is expected to build on the relationship with the goal of achieving greater success for TeamTTO at this more difficult level of volleyball.

In addition to the title of Caribbean champions, Trinidad and Tobago also copped five individual awards, including Tournament MVP (Brendon Legall), Best Opposite (Ryan Stewart, Captain), Best Libero (Joshua Mohammed), Best Setter (Kameron Donald) and Best Middle Blocker (Mikheil Anthony Hoyte).